Chef Birgitte and I will be offering a new class at PCC on cooling inflammation with food - research shows that many health conditions such as heart disease, arthritis, allergies, cancer etc. have their roots in internal inflammation. These classes will be an interesting mix of cutting-edge nutrition info and gourmet recipes that are not only delicious but healing - what a combination! Sign up early to assure a space. (see info in May class section below). UPDATE: I just checked the PCC website and all classes except Redmond are full, but get on the waiting list, there are always cancellations.

SAVE THE DATE! Due to the popularity of our last wine and tapas class in March, my husband and I are offering it again on August 4th at our Lynnwood home. Learn about Washington wines and how to pair them with food. Both the wine and food will be spectacular! If you took the class in March we will be doing all new wines and recipes! More details in upcoming newsletters. Cost is $50.00 per person. If you want to reserve a spot, email me.

15 Minute Meals, Tue. May 1st, 6:30-9:30, Cooks World, U Village area.
Do you need some fresh ideas for healthy family-friendly recipes that can be prepared in under 15 minutes? In this class you’ll learn cooking and shopping strategies that will make mealtimes easier, and sample easy but gourmet tasting recipes such as Black Bean and Yam Quesadillas, Pasta with Artichoke Hearts, Sundried tomatoes, Feta and Pinenuts, California Quinoa Salad and Mexican-Style Chicken Wraps.
Registration: http://www.DiscoverU.org or 206-365-0400

Healthy Eating on the Run, Sat. May 12th, noon-2PM, UW Campus.
Do you need some fresh ideas for healthy family-friendly recipes that can be prepared in under 15 minutes? In this class you’ll learn cooking and shopping strategies that will make mealtimes easier, and sample easy but gourmet tasting recipes such as Black Bean and Yam Quesadillas, Pasta with Artichoke Hearts, Sundried tomatoes, Feta and Pinenuts, California Quinoa Salad and Mexican-Style Chicken Wraps.
Registration: 206-68-LEARN or click here

Spring Salads, Mon. May 14th, Spartan Gym Kitchen, Shoreline.
We will take advantage of the wonderful spring produce to create fresh and healthy, mouth-watering spring salads that are hearty enough to serve as a main course. Sample Thai Noodle Salad with Shrimp and Sugar Snap Peas, Warm Quinoa Salad with Asparagus and Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Spring Vegetable Pasta Salad with Creamy Lemon Dressing, and more!
Registration: 206-418-3383

Spring Salads, Thur. May 17th, 6:30-8:30PM, Everett Senior Center, Everett.
See above description.
Registration: 425-257-8300 or http://signmeup.everettwa.org/Activities/ActivitiesDetails.asp?aid=14229

Spring Salads, Thur. May 21st, 7-9PM, Jennings Park Barn, Marysville. See above description.
Registration: 360-363-8400

Cooling Inflammation with Food, Wed. May 23rd, PCC West Seattle.
The best defense against inflammation, experts say, is diet. Anti-inflammatory foods contain compounds that can prevent or decrease inflammation, thereby reducing the risk of degenerative disease. In this class you will learn the difference between pro- and anti-inflammatory foods, as well as the best food preparation techniques. You’ll sample some of Birgitte’s delicious recipes that help boost your health and support your metabolism to prevent inflammation. Vegetarian, no dairy, eggs or wheat.
Registration: 206-545-7112 http://www.pccnaturalmarkets.com/pcccooks/cart/?add=1986&stamp=1175537965

Cooling Inflammation with Food, Thursday, June 7th, PCC Greenlake, June 13th, PCC Issaquah, June 19th, PCC Redmond.
See above description and registration info.

NEW RECIPES! 15 Minute Meals, Thursday, June 28th, 6:30-8:30PM, Everett Senior Center, Everett.
Do you need some fresh ideas for healthy family-friendly recipes that can be prepared in under 15 minutes? In this class you’ll learn cooking and shopping strategies that will make mealtimes easier, and sample easy but gourmet tasting recipes such as Turkey with Artichoke Hummus Wraps, Shrimp Pasta Salad with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Feta, Spicy Black Bean and Quinoa Salad, and more!
Registration: 425-257-8300 or http://signmeup.everettwa.org/Activities/ActivitiesDetails.asp?aid=12968

I wrote an article for the May edition of the PCC Sound Consumer about detox diets. Check it out here: http://www.pccnaturalmarkets.com/sc/0705/sc0705-detox.html. Also be sure to read the informative cover story about chemicals in cosmetics.

It's Farmers Market Season!

You know Spring has sprung when parking lots and side streets come alive with the abundant sights, sounds, smells and colors of an open-air farmers market. From now until Fall is the perfect time to add some extra color and nutrition to your plate: vivid green asparagus, crimson beets, sunny orange apricots, …these and more choices abound. If you value fresh, seasonal, locally grown organic food, your regular supermarket can’t compete with the produce offered at farmers’ markets. Many items are fresh-picked that morning, and the prices in many cases can’t be beat.

Shopping at a farmers market is a more fun-filled and rewarding experience than wandering the produce aisle of your local supermarket. Farmers markets are a return to a way of life once commonplace for many of our parents and grandparents. It’s a great way to teach your kids about how food is grown, and a chance to build a connection to the land and to the farmers that few children have these days.

Farmers’ markets are a valuable resource for communities. Not only is fresh, seasonal and locally grown food available for a reasonable price, money spent at farmer’s markets is good for the local economy – buying directly from family farms supports sustainable argriculture and helps farmers stay in business.

Shopping at farmers markets also reduces energy consumed on food transportation, (at over $3.00 a gallon for gas, this is significant!) and reduces waste by eliminating over-packaging of foods.

Buying local food is a great way to keep us in touch with the seasons. By eating with the seasons, we are eating foods when they are at their peak taste, are the most abundant, and the least expensive.

Local food translates to more variety. When a farmer is producing food that will not travel a long distance, will have a shorter shelf life, and does not have a high-yield demand, the farmer is free to try small crops of various fruits and vegetables that would probably never make it to a large supermarket. It’s also common to find foraged foods – such as wild mushrooms or wild greens that will enliven a salad or pasta dish. Seek out the grass-fed beef and pastured chickens and their eggs too: You don't have to worry about melamine contaminating the feed of these animals as you do with factory-farmed animals.

So, this spring and summer, gather up the family and venture out to a nearby farmers market and support your local farmer! Visit http://www.wafarmersmarkets.com for a complete list of markets in the area.

Market Tips

· Go without a list. Plan menus around what is in season and looks the freshest.
· Browse before buying. Make the rounds before buying, taking time to taste and compare quality and prices of different vendors.
· Bring your own bag. While vendors will supply bags, it's helpful to bring a woven basket or tote bag for your purchases.
· Shop early. You’ll find the best quality and selection early in the day.
· Go straight home. Fresh produce and flowers won’t last long in a hot car, so plan on bringing purchases home before running other errands

For more information on eating locally, check out these links:

Greener Seattle: How to navigate organic foods
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/food/311978_organic18.html

Preserving Fossil Fuels and Nearby Farmland by Eating Locally
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/25/dining/25loca.html?ref=dining

Kenmore Milk Shed

This is a group of families from King and Snohomish counties who have joined together as a buyers club co-op to get farm fresh foods from local farmers. The foods are delivered to the Milk Shed in Kenmore where each family picks up their weekly order. The products are purchased from the farmers at wholesale prices. http://www.kenmoremilkshed.org/

Pick up a copy of the May/June issue of Mother Jones magazine and read the article "Seeing Red" by Barbara Kingsolver (of Poisonwood Bible fame), about how her family tried to eat local for a year. She has a new non-fiction book about her experience to be released in May, entitled "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life ", her first nonfiction narrative that will open your eyes in a hundred new ways to an old truth: You are what you eat. Check it out on her website at http://www.kingsolver.com/home/index.asp

Sugar Snap Peas

Sugar snap peas are sweet and crunchy. A hybrid cross of the English pea and the snow pea, sugar snap peas are entirely edible. The pods are rounded, thick and mature. Unlike snow peas that toughen with maturity, sugar snap peas remain tender and flavorful. Sugar snap peas can be served raw. Brief cooking underscores their sweetness, but it must be very brief, or the crunch will be lost.

Sugar snap peas are low in calories, high in fiber, and are a good source of vitamin A, C, K and B vitamins.

Chicken with Sugar Snap Peas and Spring Herbs

1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon flour, divided
1 pound thin-sliced chicken breast cutlets
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces sugar snap peas, cut in half (2 cups)
1 14-ounce can quartered artichoke hearts, rinsed
3 tablespoons minced fresh herbs, such as chives, tarragon or dill
2 teaspoons champagne vinegar or white-wine vinegar

1. Whisk broth, mustard, salt, pepper and 2 teaspoons flour in a small bowl until smooth.

2. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with the remaining 1 tablespoon flour. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the chicken in two batches, adjusting heat as necessary to prevent burning, until golden, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate; tent with foil to keep warm.

3. Increase heat to high; stir the broth mixture and add to the skillet along with snap peas artichoke hearts. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the snap peas are tender-crisp, about 3 minutes.

4. Return the chicken to the pan, nestling it into the vegetables, and simmer until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in herbs and vinegar.

Makes 4 servings

Adapted from Eating Well Magazine

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 248 calories; 6 g fat (1 g sat, 4 g mono); 63 mg cholesterol; 19 g carbohydrate; 29 g protein; 7 g fiber; 605 mg sodium; 603 mg potassium.